Two things happened in close succession. One, I was taking medical classes in school. Two, I started becoming interested in my family’s history. Specifically, my mother’s name.

Imagine you’re a young woman, holding your first-born in your arms, a perfect little girl. Why would you name her ‘Helgard’?

(Yes, it means the same in both German and English – ‘guard of hell’ – though ‘hel’ in German translates more into ‘land of the dead’ rather than the ‘pit of flames’ more usual in English.)

Which of your characters (in this book) is closest to your heart and why?

Helmort is closest to my heart because I like exploring different mindsets.

For example, he does not view killing humans as being any different from humans killing cows. (If anything, he feels his killing humans is more justified because he does it to survive while humans kill animals simply because they like the taste.)

Do you have a day job? If yes, tell us about it and how did that affect your writing / publishing process?

I was a Licensed Practical Nurse who recently finished school to become a Registered Nurse.

It was during my studies that I realized vampires could be real. Not the supernatural, shape-shifting, killed-by-sunlight version popularized by movies but the realistic, needs-to-drink-human-blood-to-survive creature described in Eastern European folktales.

Tell us about an upcoming book or project you’re excited about

In ‘Helmort‘, vampirism is passed similarly to hemophilia (aka the ‘bleeding disease’). Therefore female vampires would be exceedingly rare and important because they are the key to creating more vampires.

I am currently working on the sequel to ‘Helmort’.

(The females are coming…)

Bonus Question! Fill in the blank: If you like ___, you’ll probably like my book too!

Hmm. Interesting question.

The obvious answer would be ‘Dracula’ (if it were written in a more modern style) but several people have told me that ‘Helmort’ reminds them of Edgar Allan Poe’s works.

Welcome Readers!

FYI, WordPress.com has activated WordAds on this blog (hence the discrete ads you may see). We are also a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by linking to amazon.com.